The main lines of research are: 1) The investigation of pyrrole metabolism in thalassemia and related disorders, especially the nature and origin of dipyrrolic pigments excreted in the urine. 2) Correlation of clinical, hematologic and biochemical (chain labelling ratios) findings in thalassemia, especially uncommon form (e.g. in blacks) to further elucidate the heterogeneity of thalassemias. 3) Investigation of potential animal models of thalassemia.